18
THE NEW YORKER, DECEMBER 19 & 26, 2016
NIGHT LIFE
1
ROCK AND POP
Musicians and night-club proprietors lead
complicated lives; it's advisable to check
in advance to con rm engagements.
Yasiin Bey (Mos Def)
After more than two decades as a champion o
heady, often eccentric hip-hop, this Brooklyn rap-
per and actor seems to have hit a crossroads. He
has said that "Dec 99th," released in collaboration
with the journalist, activist, and rebrand Ferrari
Sheppard, may be among the last recorded mate-
rial he releases before retiring from music. This
follows months o something resembling exile:
Bey was unable to leave Cape Town, South Africa,
from January through November, after attempt-
ing to exit the country with a World Passport,
an unrecognized document. He's been a global-
ist since he released "The Ecstatic," in 2009, his
most conceptually knotty and ambitious work yet.
Eastern orchestration, children's musicals, and Is-
lamic theology thread through the record, leav-
ing fans' hopes high for his follow-up. Bey will
be joined by friends at this Harlem set, before a
three-night residency at the Kennedy Center for
the Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C. (Apollo
Theatre, 253 W. 125th St. 800-745-3000. Dec. 21.)
Hellrazor
Mike Falcone plays drums for the noise-pop
punks Speedy Ortiz, but he was writing and
recording long before the band became pop-
ular (and booked a time-consuming touring
schedule). Though his day job relegates him to
the rhythm section, Falcone bursts forth as the
lead singer and guitarist in Hellrazor, a neo-
grunge out t that has just put out a stomping
new album, "Satan Smile." It's fascinating to hear
the band, inspired by D.I.Y. icons like Guided
by Voices, tow the line between upbeat earworm
structures and harsh, crusty textures. Falcone
is a generous singer and shredder, and his stint
with Speedy has allowed him an up-close look at
rock's modern commercial potential, i the songs
are just sweet enough. The crew celebrates their
proper full-length début with this release gig.
(Silent Barn, 603 Bushwick Ave., Brooklyn. 929-
234-6060. Dec. 14.)
Jimmy Eat World
The critic Bill Flanagan recently posited that
rock is the new jazz---sacred, but creatively
immobile. In response, the popular indie blog
Brooklyn Vegan singled out the precedent-set-
ting example o the Strokes, whose nostalgic
albums were prized as rock saviors, thus dis-
couraging younger bands from looking for-
ward. Critics may underappreciate early-aughts
bands like Jimmy Eat World, but its second-per-
son power-pop still mesmerizes, and, in hind-
sight, "Sweetness" does sound more innovative
than the Strokes' "Someday." Even Taylor Swift
liked Jimmy Eat World in middle school, which
may be why the group's latest album, "Integrity
Blues," sprints far away from the wispy emo o
their early days, toward songs that are more au-
tobiographical and angular. (Webster Hall, 125
E. 11th St. 212-353-1600. Dec. 17.)
Stand Off
This hardcore band from Washington, D.C., fol-
lows in its city's grand tradition o champion-
ing the young, the angry, and the motivated. The
members, all recently out o high school, recon-
vene during academic breaks, including on this
Christmas-vacation romp. Their rst E.P., "Be-
hind the Wire," was released in September on
the sleeper label Youngblood Records, and was
recorded by Ned Russin, o the beloved Penn-
sylvania group Title ght. They're joined this
week by Line of Site, neighbors from D.C. who
share a similar sound and drug-free ethos, and
Hotheads, who are among an exciting new crop
o New York bands that sound like they couldn't
be from anywhere else. (Gold Sounds, 44 Wilson
Ave., Brooklyn. 718-618-0686. Dec. 16.)
1
JAZZ AND STANDARDS
Karrin Allyson
Although Allyson brings customary charm to the
beloved work o Rodgers and Hammerstein on
her most recent release, "Many a New Day," this
valued singer will also surely dip into seasonal
fare from her earlier "Yuletide Hideaway" proj-
ect at this ve-night engagement. (Birdland, 315
W. 44th St. 212-581-3080. Dec. 13-17.)
Kenny Barron
The dean o mainstream jazz piano gets to dis-
play two sides o his multidimensional musi-
cal personality during this two-week residency.
First, he calls on Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Johna-
than Blake, who complete the sleek trio that -
nally débuted with this year's album "Book o
Intuition." He then beefs up the band with the
saxophonist Dayna Stephens and the vibraphon-
ist Steve Nelson, gaining hard-bop muscle in the
process. (Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Ave. S., at
11th St. 212-255-4037. Dec. 13-25.)
Big Band Holidays
It never hurts to juice up a holiday song with
hard swing, and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Or-
chestra is just the ensemble to do it right. Sher-
man Irby, an orchestra saxophone mainstay, is the
event's musical director, and Catherine Russell
appears as a guest to add vocal cheer. (Rose The-
atre, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th St.
212-721-6500. Dec. 14-18.)
Chris Botti
Listeners who like their jazz to go down nice
and easy also like the personable Botti, a trum-
peter who has never shied away from a pretty
note. Fronting a band stocked with quality play-
ers, like the pianist Geoffrey Keezer, Botti set-
tles in for his twelfth annual audience-friendly
holiday residency. (Blue Note, 131 W. 3rd St. 212-
475-8592. Through Jan. 8.)
Daryl Sherman & Houston Person
Sherman, a veteran vocal stylist and pianist who
never met a standard she couldn't immeasur-
ably nesse, and Person, a revered tenor sax-
ophonist who can coax the blues out o every
note he blows, duet, bathing the room in old-
school warmth. (Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St. mezz-
row.com. Dec. 27.)
Buster Williams & Renee Rosnes
With a long-established instrumentalist like
the bassist Williams, it's easier to identify the
few modern masters he hasn't worked with than
the multitudes he has. He's joined by the adroit
pianist Rosnes for an elegant and animated
encounter. (Mezzrow, 163 W. 10th St. mezzrow.
com. Dec. 16-17.)
The rapper and activist Yasiin Bey, who came to notoriety as Mos Def, visits the Apollo Theatre
on Dec. 21 to perform material from what he says might be his final albums.
ILLUSTRATION BY CLAIRE MERCHLINSKY